The Hindu : New Delhi News : Unhappy Sheila takes discoms to task

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 25, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Unhappy Sheila takes discoms to task

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JUNE 24. Asserting that the working of the Ambani owned-BSES power distribution company was far from satisfactory, the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, is learnt to have made it clear that she would not allow the present situation of power cuts and unscheduled load-shedding to continue in East Delhi and South Delhi. She has also asked the BSES and Transco to form a coordination team to ensure smooth functioning of the two bodies.

Reviewing the power situation in the BSES areas, Ms. Dikshit is understood to have expressed her unhappiness at the working of the private distribution company and stressed that there was an urgent need to raise the level of performance, which at present was dismal. She said there were still no indications of how the private distribution company planned to tackle the situation during the monsoon when local faults and breakdowns register a sharp increase. The Power Minister, Haroon Yusuf, the Chairman (Transco), K.M. Sahani, the BSES vice-president, Satish Seth and CEO, Rakesh Aggarwal, along with other senior officials were present at the meeting.

"I have made it clear that till the complaints of the consumers are not redressed properly and power cuts and load-shedding is not brought down drastically, I would not accept the situation to be anywhere near normal," Ms. Dikshit informed.

It is learnt that Ms. Dikshit was unhappy with the failure of Transco and BSES officials to ensure smooth coordination on various occasions. With a normal monsoon being predicted by the Metrological Department there was a need to carry out necessary upgradation of the entire system and put in place an action plan. Ms. Dikshit is understood to have cautioned the distribution companies and Transco about a month ago to come up with a plan to tackle the situation during the monsoon. She told the BSES officials that despite assurances to the contrary, the situation had not improved in the BSES held areas and some drastic surgery was required to set things right and gain the confidence of the power consumers.

Taking up the complaints of the consumers, the Chief Minister is believed to have told the BSES officials that vast improvement was needed on the issue of grievance redressal of the consumers. Be it the issue of inflated bills, unscheduled power cuts, load-shedding, failure to attend to complaints on time and giving a hearing to the problems of the consumers, the BSES had not been able to come up to the mark. She said the response system had to be efficient and professional giving an impression that the benefits of privatisation had percolated down to the grassroots. The BSES officials assured that they were putting in place certain measures that would satisfy the consumers and ensure quick redressal of their grievances. The private distribution company also assured that it was in the process of making massive investments for upgradation of infrastructure and things would change dramatically in the next few months.

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